4 against 4 Zone Game
Focus of the Drill
It is an important possession soccer drill. It will teach the players about how to keep possession for a purpose. It will help in learning the short/long passing combinations. It will also focus on the defensive transition by quickly close down space and eliminate passing lanes.
Drill Setup
To set up this drill, you have to create a grid of size 24 x 15 yards, and then divide it into 3 zones of 8 x 15. Now you have to split the players into 3 teams of 4 players. As a Coach, you may want to keep the defenders in one team and the midfielders in another, with attackers being in the third one. You can thus place each group of four players in each zone.
How to Play?
To play this drill, firstly you will have to divide the 4 players in the middle zone into 2 teams of 2. After that, one pair will be asked to close down in the right hand zone and the second pair will close down in the left hand side. The game will begin in the right hand zone with the four players aiming to keep possession, but looking for a chance to pass the ball onto the feet of a player in the left hand side being closed down by the pair from the middle zone.
The pair left in the middle zone are given the task of obstructing the pass when it goes from the right hand zone through the middle zone into the left hand zone. Once it’s done, the 2 players from the middle who were closing down in the right hand zone return to the middle to intercept. Meanwhile, the 2 players from the middle zone go into the left hand zone to close down. The game continues on with the 4 players in the left hand side doing exactly the same thing.
One point is given for a successful pass that makes it from end zone to end zone. 1 point is given for the 4 completed passes in an end zone, 1 point is awarded for the player closing down who wins possession of the ball or forces the ball out of play and 1 point is given to the player from the middle zone who stops a pass. If the ball goes out of play, give it again to 4 players in the end zone and game will start again. After 5 mins, the positons of players are shuffled. The right hand ones go into left hand ones, the left hand ones go into middle zone, and so on.
Different Versions
This drill can have different versions depending on the number of touches per player.
Coaching Points
As a coach, you have to encourage the players and support every pass they make. The players must communicate with each other vigilantly. You should encourage good movement of the ball. Moreover, you should stress on the importance of closing down the opposition and limiting their options.